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That's definitely enough time if you're willing to dedicate a good amount of your time to studying. I did just about the same thing (but took the test in early August) while working a full-time summer job. As long as you don't think you'll get burned out studying a few hours a day on weekdays/lots on weekends that should be fine!

About physics 2, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to take the whole class before the MCAT. My test had way more chemistry than physics on it, and the physics stuff that was covered were things you could self-study (assuming you feel pretty confident teaching yourself). I would strongly suggest watching the Khan Academy videos on optics/E&M if you go that route! Plus, it might be nice to not have to worry about studying for a class while you're also studying for the MCAT.
 
Everyone is different. I personally would need longer. Take as long as you need.
 
Are you taking all of the other pre-reqs like biochem?
 
I am +1-ing two previous posters. Physics 2 is not really that critical for the MCAT. You should be able to self-study the concepts and dominate them fairly well with your alloted time. That's my prediction, at least. If you get more than 2 or 3 passages of pure physics, then you have garbage luck, lol.

Oh, and yeah, the timeframe that you're proposing should be anywhere from just right to excellent. BUT DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE EXAM. Have a structured, concrete study schedule and plan. Do your research, ask successful Test-Takers for advice, etc. I don't even know you and, just from personal experiences of having to go through the troubles of MCAT studying, I don't want you to make any of the same mistakes. Strive for 514+++! Maybe come back with a 526

Peace.✌
 
futuredoc520 said:
I'd love to get over with the MCAT before my senior year, so do you think May 14 - Aug 28 (roughly) is enough time to study for the MCAT? Also, I have not taken physics 2 and can't next semester because I'll be abroad. Should I take it while studying for the MCAT or take it after I take the MCAT and self study what ever material I don't know?

Also, if you did check my previous posts, I've decided to not graduate early and complete the four years in my college town 🙂.
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Hi futuredoc 😀,

May 14 - Aug 28 gives you 15 weeks to study for the exam. It is possible to study for the MCAT and do well on it in that time, but it will not be easy (is anything in premed easy?).

Here are some pointers:
  • After week 5, take a full length practice exam once every week (read: every Sunday morning for 10 weeks, wake up at 7 am and pack a lunch, go to a quiet space, sit down and simulate the entire exam with breaks) and spend, at minimum, 4 hours the day after that exam reviewing it (answers right and wrong), making flashcards or Anki decks for questions you get wrong. That will give you ~10 practice exams before your exam. Log your exam scores in a spreadsheet and keep track of how you're doing.
  • Log your time and study with breaks. You should expect to spend about 3-400 hours total (*edit* for a ~508; more if you want a higher score) studying for the MCAT. Those are good, focused hours. Only study in ~1 hour blocks (or start at 30 and work your way up) and take actual breaks in between these sessions. After you study for an hour and log it, go outside. Get away from your computer. Come back in 10/15 minutes and start studying again. Repeat.
    You cannot, without training, just sit down in the library and study for 8 hours straight. If you try doing this, you're going to have 2 hours of productive time and 6 hours of wasted time. You literally don't have time to waste, so take your breaks wisely and enjoy them.
  • Since you haven't taken physics II, start watching/listening to Khan videos on Physics II subjects. None of MCAT physics is truly difficult; there's just a lot of it. Get the concepts in your head sooner rather than later, and you'll be fine.
  • Start preparing now! Get your books in order, find your study schedule, and sign up for free MCAT questions now (read: right now!)
    mcatquestion.com // Kaplan // NextStep all have free questions of the day that get sent to your email. I had a number of free questions pop up on exam day. Get on that right now. Now!


*I'm an MCAT instructor
 
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To be MD said:
Hi futuredoc 😀,

May 14 - Aug 28 gives you 15 weeks to study for the exam. It is possible to study for the MCAT and do well on it in that time, but it will not be easy (is anything in premed easy?).

Here are some pointers:
  • After week 5, take a full length practice exam once every week (read: every Sunday morning for 10 weeks, wake up at 7 am and pack a lunch, go to a quiet space, sit down and simulate the entire exam with breaks) and spend, at minimum, 4 hours the day after that exam reviewing it (answers right and wrong), making flashcards or Anki decks for questions you get wrong. That will give you ~10 practice exams before your exam. Log your exam scores in a spreadsheet and keep track of how you're doing.
  • Log your time and study with breaks. You should expect to spend about 3-400 hours total studying for the MCAT. Those are good, focused hours. Only study in ~1 hour blocks (or start at 30 and work your way up) and take actual breaks in between these sessions. After you study for an hour and log it, go outside. Get away from your computer. Come back in 10/15 minutes and start studying again. Repeat.
    You cannot, without training, just sit down in the library and study for 8 hours straight. If you try doing this, you're going to have 2 hours of productive time and 6 hours of wasted time. You literally don't have time to waste, so take your breaks wisely and enjoy them.
  • Since you haven't taken physics II, start watching/listening to Khan videos on Physics II subjects. None of MCAT physics is truly difficult; there's just a lot of it. Get the concepts in your head sooner rather than later, and you'll be fine.
  • Start preparing now! Get your books in order, find your study schedule, and sign up for free MCAT questions now (read: right now!)
    mcatquestion.com // Kaplan // NextStep all have free questions of the day that get sent to your email. I had a number of free questions pop up on exam day. Get on that right now. Now!


*I'm an MCAT instructor
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Solid advice! I studied 500+ hours but some were less focused than others.
 
libertyyne said:
Same here. 500 or so hours with a fifth of that dedicated to just testing.
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I took 10 practice exams (11 if you include the Kaplan diagnostic). It was adequate but 15 would have been better.

OP, definitely do all the AAMC stuff!
 
There's definitely no universal formula for the best way to study, though! You'll have to figure out what works best for you and what your strengths and weaknesses are (especially content vs. practice). I personally needed more content review than practice—I watched every khan academy video and did all of their 300+ practice passages, but I only took two full length practice exams.

I know taking lots of practice tests works well for a lot of people, but it's not the only way to do it so don't feel like you have to follow any one formula to be successful on the test 🙂
 
I think that is plenty. You will probably procrastinate many days
libertyyne said:
I took about 20~.
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Which ones? And how was your score if you don't mind me asking. I only got a 510, but procrastinated with my studying, and only took about 10-11 full lengths and not much content review. I will be taking it again if I don't get any acceptances.
 
JoeCaputo said:
I think that is plenty. You will probably procrastinate many days


Which ones? And how was your score if you don't mind me asking. I only got a 510, but procrastinated with my studying, and only took about 10-11 full lengths and not much content review. I will be taking it again if I don't get any acceptances.
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In retrospect there were 23.
nfdQObF.png

518~36. I knew I had bombed the first section, but continued afterwards thinking it would be good for practice. Did ok considering even after choking on the first section my overall score was what it was.However, it should have been a 521~ 37-38,but I care very little at this point.
 
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libertyyne said:
In retrospect there were 23.
nfdQObF.png

518~36. I knew I had bombed the first section, but continued afterwards thinking it would be good for practice. Even after choking on the first section. It should have been a 521~ 37-38,but I care very little at this point.
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Yea, OP. I say take at least 10, but I personally took 14 + 5 diagnostic/half-length tests.

If you want a 95+ %ile score, you, by and large, have to study way over 400 h and take more than 10 practice exams. That's why you should start studying now and not wait to start in May!

Listen to people on SDN who have nailed the test (e.g., @libertyyne & @Healer@1994 & anyone else on the 508+ SDN thread) and look at not just what they studied but how they did it.
 
I was able to score 90+ percentile with three months of studying using the TPR online resources and books. See if you can get your hands on that if possible; people that have attended TPR classes may still have access to the online materials. Also, make sure you're vigilant about sticking to a study schedule.
 
To be MD said:
If you want a 95+ %ile score, you, by and large, have to study way over 400 h and take more than 10 practice exams. That's why you should start studying now and not wait to start in May!
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I agree that to nail the test you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying, but it's not true that you need to take a huge number of practice exams. For some people, taking 10+ full length exams may be a really good use of study time/what's most helpful, but it's not fair to make the blanket statement that it's a requirement to take that many practice tests in order to do well. The most effective way to study will vary a lot person to person. I studied from mid-May to early August and took two full length practice exams and scored a 523.

I'm not trying to say that how other people studied isn't valid or anything, but I do think it's dangerous to sell the idea that the only way to do well is to follow this rigid study plan that involves at least 10 full length practice exams. That's not going to be an option for everybody financially or logistically.
 
number9 said:
I agree that to nail the test you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying, but it's not true that you need to take a huge number of practice exams. For some people, taking 10+ full length exams may be a really good use of study time/what's most helpful, but it's not fair to make the blanket statement that it's a requirement to take that many practice tests in order to do well. The most effective way to study will vary a lot person to person. I studied from mid-May to early August and took two full length practice exams and scored a 523.

I'm not trying to say that how other people studied isn't valid or anything, but I do think it's dangerous to sell the idea that the only way to do well is to follow this rigid study plan that involves at least 10 full length practice exams. That's not going to be an option for everybody financially or logistically.
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I agree. However, when I reviewed sdn' s high scoring individuals the commonality seems to be 500 hrs of studying and a good number of tests. There are some truly exceptional people amongest us who have been lucky enough to get a thorough education and are gifted at this sort of thing. But for average Joe's like me the sdn' prescribed formula works well.
 
futuredoc520 said:
I'd love to get over with the MCAT before my senior year, so do you think May 14 - Aug 28 (roughly) is enough time to study for the MCAT? Also, I have not taken physics 2 and can't next semester because I'll be abroad. Should I take it while studying for the MCAT or take it after I take the MCAT and self study what ever material I don't know?

Also, if you did check my previous posts, I've decided to not graduate early and complete the four years in my college town 🙂.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you know but there is a super helpful MCAT specific subforum on here. You should check it out. Also this post was super helpful to start with thinking about study schedules: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/509-mcat-study-habits.1143569/page-8#post-18260784

You'll notice a lot of top scorers only spent 3-4 months studying, so yes it is enough time!
 
number9 said:
I agree that to nail the test you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying, but it's not true that you need to take a huge number of practice exams. For some people, taking 10+ full length exams may be a really good use of study time/what's most helpful, but it's not fair to make the blanket statement that it's a requirement to take that many practice tests in order to do well. The most effective way to study will vary a lot person to person. I studied from mid-May to early August and took two full length practice exams and scored a 523.

I'm not trying to say that how other people studied isn't valid or anything, but I do think it's dangerous to sell the idea that the only way to do well is to follow this rigid study plan that involves at least 10 full length practice exams. That's not going to be an option for everybody financially or logistically.
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You're definitely right about not needing 10+ full lengths to do well. I mean when the first 2015 test came out there was literally only 1 official full-length practice test from AAMC (yeah prep companies had FL practice test but they were truly not representative at all because they were very much in the dark about the new test, so those FL were mostly useless). Yet plenty of people (atleast on SDN) did well despite the lack of testing material (I didn't do as well as you but still had 90+ percentile with the lack of quality test prep).

So remember kids not doing a crap ton of FL test is not a score deal breaker!
 
number9 said:
I agree that to nail the test you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying, but it's not true that you need to take a huge number of practice exams. For some people, taking 10+ full length exams may be a really good use of study time/what's most helpful, but it's not fair to make the blanket statement that it's a requirement to take that many practice tests in order to do well. The most effective way to study will vary a lot person to person. I studied from mid-May to early August and took two full length practice exams and scored a 523.

I'm not trying to say that how other people studied isn't valid or anything, but I do think it's dangerous to sell the idea that the only way to do well is to follow this rigid study plan that involves at least 10 full length practice exams. That's not going to be an option for everybody financially or logistically.
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What did you score on your 2 full lengths?
Thanks for sharing your experience! What was your review process like for the two exams? I feel like that's the most important part of taking practice exams. I'm still trying to perfect my method. I try to review every question, right and wrong, and try to categorize my errors (stupid mistake, content gap, etc.) and if I notice I'm missing a lot of questions wrong on a certain topic I watch the respective KA videos and try to do some practice questions for that topic. I'm trying to save most of the AAMC materials for closer to the test date.

Prep materials and practice exams are super expensive but I try to justify my spending by telling myself that this test is as important as my 4 years of college (if not more). I hope it's worth it.
 
number9 said:
I agree that to nail the test you need to dedicate a good chunk of time to studying, but it's not true that you need to take a huge number of practice exams. For some people, taking 10+ full length exams may be a really good use of study time/what's most helpful, but it's not fair to make the blanket statement that it's a requirement to take that many practice tests in order to do well. The most effective way to study will vary a lot person to person. I studied from mid-May to early August and took two full length practice exams and scored a 523.

I'm not trying to say that how other people studied isn't valid or anything, but I do think it's dangerous to sell the idea that the only way to do well is to follow this rigid study plan that involves at least 10 full length practice exams. That's not going to be an option for everybody financially or logistically.
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You scored a 98/99th percentile on the test and studied for less than three months. I'm going to call you a bit of an outlier.

There's no "one size fits all" but 3-400+ hours and a good amount of practice tests (5-10+) is necessary for the average student to get over a 508.
 
To be MD said:
You scored a 98/99th percentile on the test and studied for less than three months. I'm going to call you a bit of an outlier.

There's no "one size fits all" but 3-400+ hours and a good amount of practice tests (5-10+) is necessary for the average student to get over a 508.
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I agree with you, but I wonder if AAMC believes their materials are enough for acing this test? They have 3 practice tests, the q packs, section bank, the OG. And there's KA and his free practice passages.
 
lexswift said:
I agree with you, but I wonder if AAMC believes their materials are enough for acing this test? They have 3 practice tests, the q packs, section bank, the OG. And there's KA and his free practice passages.
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There should be more AAMC full-length practice exams. They are the most helpful and are much more accurate predictors of your eventual score than the Kaplan exams.
 
Healer@1994 said:
There should be more AAMC full-length practice exams. They are the most helpful and are much more accurate predictors of your eventual score than the Kaplan exams.
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i took the old ones for this purpose and supplemented with pysch exams to round off.
 
lexswift said:
What did you score on your 2 full lengths?
Thanks for sharing your experience! What was your review process like for the two exams?
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On the AAMC un-scored FL I got 90%/92%/86%/92% and on the AAMC scored FL I got 130/131/131/130 (522). I took these both within a week of the real exam.

I studied ~500 hours between May and early August (3-4 hrs/day when I got home from work, up to 12 hrs/day on the weekends). I spent May-early July watching every single video on Khan Academy and taking notes on each (you can set them to 1.5-2x speed, which is super useful depending on the presenter). As a physics major, I did not feel very confident in a lot of the content, but I knew that my critical thinking/problem solving skills were solid because physics in general (especially at my institution) focuses a lot on thinking/analysis/problem solving over rote memorization (which I found to be very true to the MCAT as well).

After finishing the videos/stand-alone questions that go along with them, I spent the rest of July reviewing my notes one content category at a time (as described by the AAMC outline of things tested on the exam), alternating the subject (i.e. one content category from chem/phys, then from bio, then from psych/soc). After reviewing my notes, I would do all of the khan academy practice passages that related to that content category.

I spent the last days before the exam taking a FL test one day, then reviewing the questions I missed the next day. I tried to just relax and not study the day before. I did not have a lot of money to spend on prep materials, but since Khan Academy was free I only ended up spending $60 on review materials (for the AAMC FL exams).
 
number9 said:
On the AAMC un-scored FL I got 90%/92%/86%/92% and on the AAMC scored FL I got 130/131/131/130 (522). I took these both within a week of the real exam.

I studied ~500 hours between May and early August (3-4 hrs/day when I got home from work, up to 12 hrs/day on the weekends). I spent May-early July watching every single video on Khan Academy and taking notes on each (you can set them to 1.5-2x speed, which is super useful depending on the presenter). As a physics major, I did not feel very confident in a lot of the content, but I knew that my critical thinking/problem solving skills were solid because physics in general (especially at my institution) focuses a lot on thinking/analysis/problem solving over rote memorization (which I found to be very true to the MCAT as well).

After finishing the videos/stand-alone questions that go along with them, I spent the rest of July reviewing my notes one content category at a time (as described by the AAMC outline of things tested on the exam), alternating the subject (i.e. one content category from chem/phys, then from bio, then from psych/soc). After reviewing my notes, I would do all of the khan academy practice passages that related to that content category.

I spent the last days before the exam taking a FL test one day, then reviewing the questions I missed the next day. I tried to just relax and not study the day before. I did not have a lot of money to spend on prep materials, but since Khan Academy was free I only ended up spending $60 on review materials (for the AAMC FL exams).
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OP, what we're really trying to tell you is this: Khan Academy is bomb.
 
To be MD said:
OP, what we're really trying to tell you is this: Khan Academy is bomb.
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I don't think I'm using KA correctly. It seems disorganized to me. I find the practice questions and passages easily but not the corresponding videos. Do I just find those on YouTube and start at the beginnning of each subject?
 
OchemOficionado said:
I don't think I'm using KA correctly. It seems disorganized to me. I find the practice questions and passages easily but not the corresponding videos. Do I just find those on YouTube and start at the beginnning of each subject?
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I didn't like KA that much as well, but I like to learn about details.
 
OchemOficionado said:
I don't think I'm using KA correctly. It seems disorganized to me. I find the practice questions and passages easily but not the corresponding videos. Do I just find those on YouTube and start at the beginnning of each subject?
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I would recommend accessing the videos from the Khan Academy website itself rather than from YouTube! If you make an account (it's free), KA will track which videos you've completely finished, which you've watched part of, and which you have yet to watch.

From the main MCAT page (https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat), you can access the videos using the links under the "Topics" heading. They roughly correspond to the Foundational Concepts from the AAMC outline. Each subsection (roughly corresponds to a sub-topic of the content categories from the AAMC outline) has a playlist of related videos and a set of corresponding stand-alone questions.

The passages themselves are not coupled with videos and are just listed by MCAT section. This actually makes sense though because many of the passages on KA and the MCAT itself don't cleanly fit within one content category of material (i.e. they link a few different topics together).
 
Just because my studying style was a little different than what's been suggested. I studied full time for 7 weeks and took 18 full length exams. All of my content review came via reviewing exams, assessing weak points, and researching what I needed to learn. I used textbooks, Wikipedia, and khan academy for almost all of this. I also read a psych/soc review book. Ended up with a 517 which I was pleased with.
 
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